1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a rear gun sight which is fixed to the rear portion of a gun frame. More specifically, the specification describes a rear gun sight which fits within a recessed channel in the slide of a firearm so that the gun sight and slide form cooperating recoil shoulders.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A wide variety of rear gun sight designs have been developed in the past. The vast majority of these sights have an extremely complicated structure to accommodate the desired adjustments in the sight's elevation and windage. Moreover, many of the prior gun sights are attached to the gun's slide by transverse dovetail joints so that the major portion of the rear sight is fixed above the frame or slide of the firearm. Other sights are fixed to the top of the gun with screws or similar fixtures. When such rear sights are attached to a gun having a slide, such as that found on Colt and Browning type automatic pistols, the rear sight is subjected to significant recoil forces which can damage the gun sight or even tear it off the slide. Components of conventional gun sights often are bent or otherwise loosened, thereby misaligning the sight during use. Gun sights with complicated mechanisms for elevation and windage adjustment are particularly prone to breakage or misalignment. The breaking or misalignment of a rear gun sight obviously significantly reduces the reliability of the firearm. When a damaged firearm is being used in competition, the marksman is severly disadvantaged. More importantly, in police and government applications, a defective firearm can lead to a loss of the user's life.